Bruce’s Take
On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union Address. In front of a rare joint session of Congress, and with millions of people across the country tuned in to watch, he delivered a speech full of empty words and promises.
Historically, the purpose of the State of the Union Address is for the President to report to Congress on the important issues facing Americans and offer ideas on how to solve those problems. It is not meant to be an opportunity for the President to grandstand in front of Congress and deliver a politically motivated speech that fails to address the abundant challenges facing hard-working Americans.
Sadly, the President seemed to ignore the problems facing American families, instead, he pushed halftruths about Republicans and laughably inflated his own dismal economic record. In his speech, he touted the progress his Administration has made for the economy and said it was thriving. I’m unsure who the President’s speech writers are, but I’d like to suggest that they take an economics 101 class. Inflation is the highest it’s been in forty years, hard working moms and dads are struggling to afford groceries, and gas prices have been through the roof. When Arkansans go to the grocery store, pay their electric bills, or buy new shoes for their kids, they know that all is not right with the economy.
I’ve been a Congressman for eight years, and I have spent my fair share of time in Washington, DC. One thing I’ve learned is that you can never be so blinded by what’s happening in DC that you lose sight of what’s important back at home. Clearly, President Biden hasn’t learned that lesson. We heard only token lines about immigration, energy security, border security, the opioid crisis, our national debt, or the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party and other international bad actors. These are the real problems facing Americans, not resort fees at hotels.
Although I am disappointed with the President’s speech, I think it serves as a valuable lesson to my colleagues and I here in DC. We are here to serve our constituents and do everything in our power to develop policies and provide solutions to the problems they are struggling with. We are not here to play politics and get caught up in the bureaucratic motions. Until next week,
Bruce Westerman Arkansas’ Fourth District